BBC World News, Wednesday, 28 April, 2004, 10:13 GMT 11:13 UK
UN evacuates staff from Ambon
By Rachel Harvey , BBC correspondent in Jakarta
The United Nations has evacuated its staff from the Indonesian island of Ambon amid
continuing sectarian violence.
[PHOTO: Muslim and Christian gangs have been fighting since Sunday]
Gunfire and explosions have been heard throughout the city and more buildings have
been set on fire.
At least 32 people have been killed and more than 100 injured since the latest
violence started on Sunday.
Clashes broke out after a small predominantly Christian separatist group staged a
rally in the city.
Sporadic gunfire has continued for a fourth successive day in Ambon city and the
casualty list is growing.
Barricades separating Muslim and Christian areas are making it difficult to get the
injured to hospital for treatment.
Despite the presence of more than 1,000 extra police and soldiers drafted in to help
quell the unrest, more buildings have been set on fire including a church.
Ambon was once a model for reconciliation in the region, but hopes of a more
peaceful future now lie in tatters.
I was in Ambon just a month ago to visit a newly open school where Christian and
Muslim teenagers were studying together. The school was burned down on Monday.
"We're back to square one," the headmaster told me, "we can't continue under these
conditions."
This is the worst violence in the region since a peace deal was signed in 2002, ending
three years of bitter fighting which left more than 5,000 people dead.
The conflict then was exacerbated by the presence of Muslim militants from other
parts of Indonesia.
Hardline Muslim leaders in Jakarta are once again threatening to send their own
fighters to Ambon if, as they put it, the security forces fail to deal with the situation.
© BBC MMIV
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